Addiction Blog. Insight and Advice
from Our Austin Area Addiction Recovery Experts.

In our active addiction many of us were constantly looking for an easy way to relieve pain or stress. In active recovery, we can choose to alleviate that stress with a much healthier alternative. Studies have found that exercise can curb cravings and reduce the appeal to use again, preventing a possible slip. Not only…

In July of this year, I reached rock bottom. My addiction had taken full control of my life and I was living in a depressing state of unmanageability. Although I had lost hope in my future I was blessed with a willingness to surrender. I didn’t know where I wanted to go, but I knew…

Stimulants are a broad class of substances that run from the caffeine you get in your morning coffee, to prescription stimulants, such as Adderall and Ritalin, and, at the far end of the spectrum, to illegal substance such as cocaine, crystal meth, and Ecstasy. Stimulants temporarily increase your energy and attention levels. They also increase…

Xanax is a powerful antidepressant that patients receive to treat anxiety and related psychological disorders. Sudden or “cold turkey” withdrawal from Xanax use can result in a strong return of anxiety symptoms that can be dangerous and even fatal. In all cases, if an individual has been using Xanax for any extended period of time,…

The viciousness of crack cocaine that we typically associate with crime, petty assaults, and robberies stems from a ravaged urban America in the 1980s which led to some of the stiffest law enforcement ever to exist in a first-world country. Seldom does the medical aspect even come to mind for the public at large, apart…

The question has been asked over and over again: is work taking over your life? Many men have answered in the affirmative but have continued to work long hours, morning noon and night. As they became over-burdened and overwhelmed by a range of work-related issues that caused them to stay on late rather than make…

There was a time when people joked that alcoholics saw pink elephants and ants crawling on their skin. In our more enlightened times, we now understand that alcoholism is a chronic disease and that visual and sensory hallucinations are a very real part of that disease.An alcoholic who abruptly stops his alcohol intake will endure…

Withdrawal from Xanax takes time as you experience symptoms of the release of the substance from your body. At The Last Resort Recovery, we offer professional solutions to help you overcome addiction and get through your Xanax withdrawal timeline. Our facility offers residential and outpatient treatment options, including detox and aftercare. What Are the Side…

Like most drug addictions, behavioral addictions have gained a lot of acceptance in recent years. However, internet addiction doesn’t appear in the latest addition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the bible of mental health conditions for the whole field of psychiatry. In this day and age, that’s somewhat of a surprise,…

The holidays for many people are a time filled with good times and good memories, a time when families get together to celebrate the season. It’s also a time when addicts find that their struggles with substance abuse are intensified. They often struggle to stay away from people and situations that enabled their addiction. The holiday season…

Does My Son Need Drug Overdose Treatment? What can I do if my son is at-risk for overdose? Unfortunately, the reality of drug addiction is that anyone who uses drugs is at-risk for overdose—especially anyone using prescription drugs, which offer a much higher risk of fatal drug overdose. And as a parent, it can be…

The term “sex addiction” is a broad categorical reference to a number of different activities that are related to obsessive or compulsive sexual conduct. Those activities include sexual fantasies, seduction and role playing, voyeurism and exhibitionism, bartering or paying for sex, sexual relationships with anonymous individuals, and at the extreme, violent, intrusive, or sado-masochistic sex….

Everyone in a recovery program shares a common problem, yet they are all very different people. Because of this, finding the perfect sponsor that understands and gets you, as an individual, will save heartache and headache down the road. Relationships change and grow and your sponsor is no different, but be aware that ultimately you…

Heroin is an opiate derivative that is processed from the sap drawn out of the pods of a poppy plant. Certain opiate derivatives, including morphine and painkillers such as oxycontin, are also derived from poppy plants. Like heroin, those opiate derivatives are potentially addictive. Heroin, however, has no accepted or established medicinal properties and it…

Cocaine is an illegal stimulant that offers people feelings of euphoria. A cocaine high is not meant to last, but people often chase it over and over again because their brains get addicted. A drug like cocaine can be addictive from the first hit. Even when a person quits, it may change the brain for…

You’re sober. You should be proud of yourself. But today is New Year’s Eve. You want to go out and have a good time but you’ve never had a sober New Year’s before. This can be stressful but there is no need to stay home and watch Carson Daly or Pitbull count backwards from ten…

Designer Drugs and College Addiction—What Can Be Done What can I do if I’m a college student and I’m struggling with an addiction to designer drugs? Right now, designer drugs are one of the most impressive and wide-ranging forms of substance abuse. People can do amazing things with designer drugs. For example, if you wanted…

There are several options for people looking to detox from percocets (also known as oxycodone). Rapid opiate detox at a medical facility includes being put under anesthesia, being monitored by the doctors, and being given medication to cleanse the brain of percocets. This takes about 48 hours. Home detox can take a week or two…

Military personnel are generally more prone to addictions to prescription painkillers and alcohol. Military field medics use morphine products to alleviate pain from combat-related injuries and physicians continue that pain treatment with opiate-based painkillers, leading to a rapid onset of opiate addiction. Members of the military who experience less severe injuries or who are fortunate…

The kitchen is often referred to as the “heart of the home.” It is a place to fellowship, work, and nourish the soul. This has been exactly the case at The Last Resort. Since we first opened, clients have always played a role in preparing meals for each other as a way of learning life…

Even when they do not directly incorporate Christian principles, 12-step addiction recovery programs and other rehab therapies will frequently include thematic elements that have a basis in Christianity. Individuals can go through a drug or alcohol detox and learn coping techniques to keep them away from addictive substances, but research has shown that the most…